None of the following text is evidence that can potentially create the legal effect of being used as substantial evidence for any inquiry whatsoever initiated by any official body whether sponsored by or affiliated to any government. The writer disclaims the truthfullness of the following text if its contents are to be admitted as evidence in such an investigation or other routine inquiry or are to be put to use to ascertain or verify facts thereof.
circa 22:05hrs
26.11.2008
Rear Entrance of the Taj
As a matter of everyday habit, I walk past the tiny Henry Road over to the promenade overlooking the Bay of Bombay and the grandeur of the Gateway of India. My route further takes me to the alley behind the Taj and this is where I am when the narrative starts.
About twenty-five odd feet from the rear entrance to the Taj and on the opposite side of the narrow alley, I stand with a cigarette lit, talking on the phone. In the background, I hear an intermittent bang or two, which sounds quite like a normal firecracker at a wedding party. (It turns out, each bang cost the life of an unsuspecting Leopold-goer). At the precise instant when my phone call gets over, two individuals walk in purposefully from a perpendicular alley, heading straight to the rear entrance.
I am blocked from their view by a pillar and watch their backs in horror as they unleash a series of gunshots on the groups of taxi drivers and oddboys who are loitering in the vicinity of the entrance. I do not immediately notice anybody falling as a result of the gunshots.
Along with a group of perhaps half a dozen, I begin running down the alley, which curves neatly to the left, opening up to that side of the Taj where you have the fancy designer store Bombay Electric. When I just begin my sprint, perhaps thirty odd feet into it, two or three gunshots lead to deafening cracks in my vicinity. One causes the side-mirror of a car an inch to my left to split sending shards of glass in all directions. Those are the only bruises I collect.
circa 22:25hrs
26.11.2008
Colaba Causeway
Unaware of the seriousness or scale of the event I'd just witnessed, I run only till I am well out of reach of those guns. On the Colaba Causeway, I amble across, lazily, thinking of how I can relate an exciting story of a gangster shootout to my colleagues the next morning in office.
I reach the alley that drives into the main street of Colaba Market. Just when I enter the lane, I hear a whooshing sound behind me. Nearly a second later, a heart stopping explosion rips the peaceful silence of the Market's close of business.
That, by the way, was the petrol pump.
circa 00:00hrs
27.11.2008
By now, all live zones have been identified and preliminary responses have begun rushing. Media, police, more media. At around this time, a reporter (not named here for a reason) interviews a western-national male who has escaped the Trident. The verbatim quote is not available with me (I knew I wrote it down somewhere). But the reporter states the names and counts the numbers of people stuck in a specified room number.
circa 13:30hrs
27.11.2008
Army deployments arrive outside most live zones and begin taking positions. All news channels provide extensive coverage with video clippings of the approximate numbers of personnel deployed and their locations.
Satellite links continue to function in the live zones.
07:00hrs
28.113008
One naval helicopter air drops the first batch of commandos (either Marine or NSG) on the roofs of neighboring buildings around Nariman House. Their numbers, the location of those buildings vis-a-vis Nariman House and the names of the buildings are stated in live media reports.
At circa 07:19hrs, the second batch arrives. It is not clearly visible in the video clips nor from my balcony (oops, I forgot to tell you, my residence is one of those neighboring buildings), what is exactly happening. But the rate at which gunshots can be heard makes it obvious that the commandos have begun facing pre-emptive fire from the terrorists holed up in Nariman House.
Once again, this event coincides with extensive live coverage of the precise numbers of commandos alighting from helicopters and their locations.
